New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-08
THE KING OFTHE BOODLERS.
SOHN KEENANS CHEERFUL PHILOS-
OPHY.
HOW HE LOOKS AND TALKS IN MONTREAL
A FUGITIVE STATESMAN OPENS his HEART TO
- raInuxr cnRRKaPnNpENT.

Isd,ss, entrance. little man with keen;
bright, brown eyes, q fuii neatly do,I
beard in which gray hairs were fast stes,ns' TO-
lair that would curl II It's master, I aarp
amt IN at sooke we'll for his taors reputation nou'ng
daughter perhaps years old Dy the nana, came
briskly down the steps and entered Tue coaon io We"
tuek,np hand some lap-robe about MS Kh"es' "hno
tbrono Of hotel loungers looked curiously on, when
,ha film legged leader of that strong band put
his corpet to his lips and sounded the signal dosol
dosolw The horses pranced q OIL, the htue man
tnrned ia ewes toward the band the loungers settled
themselves back to enjoy the music, and from flutes
and horns and hddes came tine cnarming S'rain 'n"'
accompanies these words
An exile from home, spendor dazzles In vain,
An, give me my place In the "0ounties nv agaln'
Give me them without risk OF indictment az AL,
Home, sweet home,
dare say the words not precisely us they are
usually printed but Will guarantee that they lifted
the sentiments Of the John Keenan, he rolled
rapidly up the avenue toward the mountain.
And vet, no one could bear banshment with more
philosophy and apparent cheerfulness than Keen an
Wbsthcr in the whrl and hustle of New Yorks hurry
burly, % among Greenland's icy mountains or on
Indas coral strand he would still be man OF ahars
His life here the isolated gloomy existence th'
fictitious correspondents have represented IT, py any
means, His oompsnions in exile, the nervous De
Lscy the dull, gross Dempsey and the bibuous Mo-
loney really do have tough time OF It, But Keenan,
A no such common clay they are lie 10 as fuli 81
energy OF BUSINESS OF plans ana scnemes rs wuen no
enoyed the title and exercised the prerogaves OF the
Bismarok of the County Democracy. He wastes no
IN idle regrets He does not sit around and curse
'fate His parlor is the OF active business lie
Is coming resources. physical and political. The man
who assumes that keenan, considers himself oeaa
cock IN the pit makes rash mistake his low cum
ming his vulgar political trickery, bis phegmauo
dulness all that which is gross in Keenans character
aoft other distinct
also. He is generous, faithful and quite capable OF
isinterested action. His word is worth all he gives
At for He is philosopher and never acts on the 1op
skip and Jump principle He is an organizer true
reader of men and events, an ardent unnlnchng
friend and q constituencies ensmy. heenan Is
splendid type OF that dan kind OF newborn pol
itcian who blends knavishness, personal honor hgh-
GLASS ability low class morals. generosity and nnscru-
pulousness in such bewiderIng confusion as 10 WIN
certain popularity and power which can only DO over
turned by some such uprising as was odused ny tne
Broadway scandal
Three wears ago certain candidate for office was
threatened with the exposure of his bad financial tran
sactiops the proof OF which in the shape OF lou
Of outstanding notes. His enemies were negotiating
to buy them up and the fellow was almost crazy.
keenan, heard OF 1t and sent one OF his truSeu
men ont with n,tructons secretly TO purchase every
pieoa of paper to which the mans name ~as signed.
In a oouple of days they were all IN keenans safe.
They had cost him So 300. Then he sent Tor the
candidate berated him soundy tor being sucn scamp
and TOOL in his money affairs, and handel him his tell
tale notes. The fellow, who is a popular smalfry
notieian Ia Keenan's slave THIS incident, aud
hundreds like it can be tolu reveals one source OF
that political influence which, unpropped by ONCE
and patronage, was yet great enough TO make us
possessor one OF the notable bosses oil New iotk
Some time ago was In the lobby OF the Hoffman
House When a couple OF acquaintances entered, one
of whom is well-known theatrical manager The
three sat down at table, nbbed crackers aud cheese
and drank sherry tor halt an hour, chatting about
things in general with easy good-hdu'r' Keenan,
pulled roll OF bills from his pocket to pay the waiter.
" I'll just sail you odds or evens, tor that SlO'
john said the theatrical man.
al never gamble but 1 lose" answered Keenan
but I'll 90 you anyhow.
The bills were placed in the han DIS Of the third man,
who drew out one Tor $40
sod p called out the manager
am 60 you again for $780," keenan, quietly
remarked.
"Odd u
ODD it was.
This Is monotonous," said Keenan,. You shall
try it again for, say, $1,000"
All right
"Choose a BILL
Well. there's luck in odd numbers I'll choose the
thirteenth bill and it is odd again.
And odd it was The stakeholder began to think
the game trihe too steep tor him to be party TO- so
The Bismarck of the County Democracy slipped it into
his pocket picked up his coat, said SO Ion 8 old el-
low and passed out if the loss OF 10 were OF
no more importance than the loss OF button oil his
shoe Il does not involve a coEmendaticn OF vicious
habits to say that man who take the bad issue
of steep risk with such sang frod possesses quail
ity of supreme advantage in politics.
Tho daily routine OF Keenan's life in Montreal
shows that he does not feel like one who
treads alone the banquet hall desertod-not
by a long shot. He rises early and breakfasts with
his famil, In his own rooms, which are n richly
furnished suite on the third floor of the Hotel Wind
sor Then he spends hour reading the New-York
papers every one of which he receives daily. His
mail is brought TO him and he speads the rest OF the
morning attending to his business affairs Ihey are
numerous aud extensive. lie stnl retains his
brewery and railroad interests in New York, and he
has made several quiet investments here. Alter
luncheon he drives out He keeps his own horses
and enjoys them every day. An afternoon sesta
freshens him up tor the evening which is not infre
auently spent with his companions In exile Every
attention is ayis he'd upon him at the hotel he pays
like prince and the he tel people consider that his
gold Is as good anybody's. The walters exercise
the most scrupulous Cafe to prevent any annoyances
from reaching him. Ref orters loaf around for days
without getting chance even TO see him much less
TO speak with him. He dimes privately and ira nslent
guests would never know he was In the house.
The lot OF the other boodlers," however. Is by no
means so peaceful. De Lacy and Dempsey live at the
Windsor also. Moloney stops at st. Lawrence Hall,
whittier he first went They all seem to have plenty
of money, but they look careworn Moloney is break
ing UP fast He probably drinks good deal. His
tendency to drown his sorrows 10 the flowing bowl
has been brought out upon all tho Doodle TRIALS
Jaehne you will remember, in pitilul effort TO ex-
plain away the story of his having kept lot OF
Broadway money, given him by Mooney, in his safe
over night testified that he met the mercural Billy
drunk in q Canal-st. saloon ohucking $500 bills
around as If he intending to carpet the door
with them Bily's whiskers getting very gray
and the lines in his face deepening. His wife is
his good angel. She stands molly by him. IL IL were
not for her Billy wonld probably soon 20 to pieces.
\ De Lacys family spend good deal OF time with
him here. though taey not supposed to live here
He has business interests in Alabama and his